A prolific and consistent scorer with a signature one-legged fadeaway, he was the first European to earn NBA MVP and the face of the Mavericks franchise for almost two full decades
FEATURED LISTS
Man with one name: Seven legendary players who never received a proper nickname
No one believed in us: 14 biggest upsets in NBA Finals history
Over the hill and on the court: 31 NBA players who stayed active into their 40s
Injured list blues: 16 potential title teams whose season was derailed by an injury
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- Active NBA player in his 40s
- As competitor in Three-Point Contest
- Earning league MVP and then getting eliminated early in the playoffs (2007)
- Earning league MVP in a controversial voting (2007)
- Lack of nickname
- Missing out on league MVP in a controversial voting (2006)
- Never named NBA All-Star MVP
- Not named to the All-Rookie team
- One of the greatest players of the 21st century
FULL archive
First quarter check in: 101 greatest NBA players of the 21st century (so far)
We’re already finished with 25% of this century so let’s take stock of the best players to take part in the NBA during this time
Man with one name: Seven legendary players who never received a proper nickname
Previously, we’ve counted down the greatest nicknames in NBA and ABA history. Now we take at a look some legends who never got a nickname that stuck.
Over the hill and on the court: 31 NBA players who stayed active into their 40s
With LeBron James set to hit the big 4-0 in December, we take a look at the 31 players who previously remained active in the NBA into their 40s
Unrewarded exhibitionists: 12 greatest players who never earned NBA All-Star Game MVP
Many of the greatest players of all time have added All-Star MVP to their list of accomplishments but these 12 legends, many of whom earned league MVP and/or Finals MVP never added the ultimate All-Star honor to their trophy case.
No one believed in us: 14 biggest upsets in NBA Finals history
NBA playoff tradition is that the better team typically wins, but in these 14 NBA Finals series, the lesser team on paper managed to pull off a stunner.
Instant classics: 75 greatest games in NBA history
All the ultimate barn burners, buzzer beaters, back-and-forth battles, incredible moments, and individual dominance are present in this list of the 75 greatest games in NBA history.
Hollow trophies: 14 early playoff exits by reigning league MVPs
The reigning MVP has led their team to the NBA or ABA championship 26 times in the history of the two leagues. But in these 15 examples, the ultimate regular season honor was sullied by subsequent postseason disappointment. Can Nikola Jokic avoid a similar fate in 2021?
Fraudulent voting: 20 controversial NBA league MVP decisions
As is bound to be the case whenever humans are making objective decisions based on subjective criteria, the NBA MVP winners have not always made sense in retrospect. Sometimes, they don’t even make sense as they’re being awarded. These are the 20 most notable cases.
Bombs away: 22 all-time greatest NBA All-Star Three-Point Contest competitors
With the NBA All-Star Weekend Three-Point Contest surprisingly happening again in 2021, we take a look back at the all-time greats in the event, ranking them based on the criteria of number of times competing, number of times reaching the semifinals/finals, number of titles, highest score, and average score.
Inauspicious debuts: 18 greatest players who weren’t named to the NBA All-Rookie team
Any first year player in ’19-’20 who doesn’t make the All-Rookie team should take heart. Not all the best players have their greatness apparent from the beginning, and some miss out on accolades altogether in their rookie season. Here are the 18 greatest that weren’t considered great enough to be All-Rookie.
Injured list blues: 16 potential title teams whose season was derailed by an injury
For every glorious moment like Willis Reed coming through the tunnel to spark the Knicks to victory in the 1970 NBA Finals, there are numerous examples of star players getting injured either late in the season or during the playoffs, and their inability to return to play costing their team a potential championship.